Crossroads 2002 A-List Award Winners

Headway Software
Somerville, MA

Headway reView
> Source Code Visualization and Comprehension

CUSTOMERS AT WORK

Developing mission-critical applications with today’s distributed object languages is a complex undertaking. Headway Software’s customers are intent on reducing the risks of complexity and poor developer productivity that accompany any innovative project. A number of independent software vendors and services firms were among the reference customers. Common strategic objectives included:

§ Allowing rapid reverse engineering of large code bases

§ Providing developers with the big picture of a project ASAP

§ Lowering the impact of developer turnover

WHY HEADWAY SOFTWARE?

Headway reView enables developers to comprehend, inspect, and optimize source code via automatically generated UML-related models. Unlike more complex UML modeling tools, however, Headway reView leverages UML-Lite, a subset of the modeling language, to capture design documentation details. Headway’s customers can track dependencies, view models, source, and documentation in a synchronized or simultaneous fashion and simulate refactoring processes. Headway reView provides developers with task-oriented views of the code base that facilitate quick comprehension and more effective decision making.

BUSINESS IMPACT

Near-term value: Headway reView accelerates the process of source code review. Reference customers routinely describe how reView has cut a process that used to take days, if not weeks, to a matter of hours.

Enterprise innovation: As the innovation in Java continues pell-mell, cutting-edge development organizations find themselves managing component-based code bases founded on multiple formal specifications. This takes the already challenging task of bringing new applications and services to market and makes it even more complex. Companies rely on Headway reView to simplify the process of managing the project and the everyday activities of individual developers. One organization uses the tool to improve how developers spend their time on a massive Java development project. Headway’s mapping and dependency-chasing functions allow the developers to prioritize their next steps.

Technology gains: Headway reView is a reasonably priced, straightforward alternative to full-fledged UML modeling tools. A number of reference customers attempted to use such alternatives prior to using Headway and found them more complex and expensive. Companies have found that, in contrast, Headway removes time and complexity from developers’ tasks. One system integrator is now offering copies of Headway reView to their customers for inspection and long-term maintenance of completed development projects.

SUCCESS FACTORS

Project strategy: It is extremely easy to get started with Headway reView. Almost all of the customers downloaded a copy off the Web and were inspecting their source code within a matter of hours.

Learning: The long-term value of using a modeling tool such as Headway reView is the establishment of a clean code base. Companies have used the tool to bring new developers up to speed on a project, thus reducing the occurrence of errors and required mentor/manager time.

Resources: Process change accompanies the introduction of any new tool into a complex project. With larger teams, companies should plan accordingly.

Fit: Development organizations focused on leading-edge Java implementations should consider Headway as part of their efforts.

COMPANY INFO

Headway Software is a private company with 12 employees.

617.718.0272
www.headwaysoftware.com
Published: January 2002